For years, passwords have served as one of the default gatekeepers of digital access. But in today’s threat landscape, that foundation is becoming increasingly fragile. As identity becomes the primary target for cybercriminals, traditional advice around stronger, more complex credentials is no longer enough to keep pace with the scale or sophistication of modern attacks. The shift is undeniable. In the first half of 2025 alone, identity-based attacks surged by more than 32%, and it is estimated that 97% of them are password focused. Even as more sophisticated tactics evolve, most attackers are still exploiting the same fundamental weakness: credentials that are weak, reused and trusted far beyond the moment they were created. What has changed is the environment in which those credentials are being tested. Recent internet outages and service interruptions have shown how quickly access controls can be impacted when systems are under pressure.…